Junction or fuse box.



' .Aitor-:Ley

2 Sheets-'Sheet I.

.b als Patented May 6, |902.

M. H. JOHNSON. JUNGTION 0H FUSE BOX.

(Apphcntxon filed Dec 28 1901 (No Model.)

Od- @vf-WM5 lo. s99,|8|. f Patented May s, |902. m. H. JoHNsoN.

JUNCTION 0R FUSE BOX.

(Application mea Dec. 2s, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MONTGOMERY H. JOHNSON, OF UTICA, NEV YORK.

JUNCTION OR FUSE BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of VT ettersiPatent No. 699,181, dated May6,1 1902,.. Application iiled December 28, 1901. Serial No. 87,517. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, MONTGOMERY H. JOHN- SON, of Utica, in the county ofOneida and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Junction or Fuse Boxes; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description ol the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of thisspecification.

The object of my present invention is to provide a junction or fuse boxhaving a bottom orbase compartment and a removable tablet in which theelectrical devices can be mounted and `to which access ymay be readilyand conveniently had.

In the'd'rawings, Figure 1 shows a plan view of my fuse or junction boxwith the cover removed. Fig. 2 shows a section taken on line A B ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a section taken on line O D of Fig. 1. Fig. 4.Yshows in plan view a modilied form of construction.V

Fig. 5 shows a longitudinal section of this construction, and Fig. 6shows across-section taken on line `E F of Fig.' 5.

Referring' to the reference letters andV Eigures in a more particulardescription of the device, 1 indicates the walls of the box or casing,and 2 the bottom of the same. The interior of the box is lined as'to thesides with liners 3 of insulating material, as slate, and

.the bottom is also provided with a liner 4. of

similar material. Secured to the inner wall of the box is a rib orflange 5, constituting one part of the tablet on whichthe electricaldevices are secured. In the same plane there is also supported andsecured by means of the supports or straps 6 the removable portion oftablet 7. Both portions of thetablet are of insulating material. Thetablet occupies such a position in the box as to provide the space 8between the tablet and the bottom of the box. The box and electricaldevices shown therein are arranged for what is known as a three-wiresystem, although this is not material to my invention.. As shown, thereare two openings through one end of the box into the space between thebottom and the tablet (indicated, respectively, by m and i and intheother end of the box a single opening, indicated by o.) In the sides oi'the box there are openings, (indicated by r.) According to thearrangement of the conductors and apparatus shown the entrances intheends of the box are used for the main leads, while the openings in thesides of the box are employed for the passage of the wires of thelocalcircuits, as in a house-lighting system. The conductors orconnections for bringing the connections to the surface of the tabletare the same in both the main leads and the subcircuits, and thedescription of one will suffice for all. On the iixed or frame portionof the tablet is secured by one of its end branches the Z-shapedconnecting-piece 9. AThe body portion of this piece passesthrough anopening on the line of separa# tion between the fixed and removableportions of the tablet, and at the lowerendy the inwardly-projecting endof the piece 9 takes a position beneath or behind the removable portion7 of the tablet, and to this end may be secured by a screw 11 or in anyother suitable manner the end of the wireor conductor 12. While the wire12 as shown in the drawings is carried to the nearest and mostconvenientopening through the wall'of the box, it is evident that vit maybecarried across the box or to any regularly or irregularlylocatedopening, and a considerable surplus length of wirecan be accommodated inthe space 8 beneath the tablet. On the face side of the tablet ythere isprovided on the piece 9 a binding-post, as 10, which may also include ascrew that will secure the piece 9 in position. On the removable portionof the tablet 7 are located v the so-called bus-bars,(indicatedbyculnand c,respectively.) These may be connected in theconstruction as shown to the positive, negative, and neutral wires,respectively. Each bus-bar is provided with a main g binding-post, as15, by means of which the bus-bars are connected with the main leads.The bus-bars are also provided with a series of other binding-posts(indicated by 16) and adapted to accommodate the connections to thelocal or-sub circuits. The binding-posts 16 and 10 are'located andarranged in pairs with a considerable space between them, which is knownas the fuse-gap. The fuses (indicated by cross IOO the fuse-gap and aresecured at their respective ends by binding-posts l0 and 1G. It will benoted that the line of separation between the iixed and removableportions of the tablet is in the fuse-gap; also, that while aconsiderable space (indicated by w) is shown in the drawings between theframe portion 5 and the main portion 7 of the tablet this space can bereduced simply to a line of separation, in which case the body portionof the connectors 9 would be inlet either in the frame 5 or the body 7.

When the fuses are removed, the body portion 7 of the tablet can beremoved after taking out the securing-screws 6 at the corners. When thebody portion of the tablet is removed, free access can be had to all thewires and connectionsin the base of the box, including thesecuring-screws or other attaching devices, which are all locateddirectly behind or beneath the removable portion of the tablet. Accessis also had to the entire length of the connecting-pieces 9.

In the modiiied form of construction shown in Figs. 4E, 5, and 6 thesame form of box l, with bottom 2, side liners 3, and bottom liner 4,are employed; also, the same ixed frame portion of tablet 5 andremovable portion 7, supported by straps 6. In the construction,however, shown in Figs. Lt, 5, and 6 the busbars (indicated by a', b,and c) are located in planes one above the other. The bus-bar a issupported by a bridge 20, which also constitutes a portion of theelectrical connection and is provided with binding -posts upon eitherside, and the bus-bar b is supported by bridge 2l, which alsoconstitutes a part of the electrical connection and is provided withbinding-posts upon either side. The bus-bar c lies llat upon the face ofthe tablet, or nearly so, and is also provided with lateral branches 22and 23 and binding-posts at their extremities. In the case of thisconstruction the bars a' and b may be attached to the positive andnegative leads, respectively, while the bar c is attached to the neu.-tral wire of a three-wire system. By locating the bus-bars in planes oneabove the other I am enabled to economize space and use a box or casingof smaller dimensions than in the construction illustrated in Figs. l to3, inelusive.

In the modified form of construction the same Z-shaped connecting-pieces9 are cinployed as in the construction previously described.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination in a fuse or junction box of the box or casing, aninternal frame secured in the box above the bottom, a removable tabletsupported within the said trame, entrances for electrical connectionsinto said box below the tablet, fixed bindingposts on said frameelectrically connected with the conductors, bus-bars andcorrespondingbinding-posts on the removable tablet and removable fuses,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination in a fuse or junction box of the casing, an internalframe secured to the side of the box above the bottom, a removabletablet supported within the frame, bus-bars7 and binding-postsarrangec'l on said tablet, corresponding; binding-posts arranged on saidframe, Z-shaped connectingpieces extending from the binding poststhrough the line of separation between the frame and the tablet into thespace beneath the tablet, entrances for electrical conductors into thespace beneath the tablet and means for connecting the conductors to saidZ- shaped connecting-pieces arranged beneath the tablet, substantiall)7as set forth.

3. The combination in a fuse or junction box of a casing, a two-parttablet supported above the bottom of said easing, one of said partsbeing removably secured and the other part iixed in the casing,entrances into said casing for electric conductors between said tabletand bottom of casing, binding-posts on said fixed portion of tablet andcorresponding` binding-posts mounted on the removable portion of thetablet, electrical distributing connections mounted upon and connectedwith the binding-posts on said removable portion and fuse-Wiresconnecting said two sets ol binding-posts and spanning the line ofseparation between the fixed and removable portions of tablet,substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of twoWitnesses, this 14th day of December, 1901.

MONTGOMERY II. JOHNSON.

Vitnesses:

J. BENJ. BRADY, S. A. BROWN.

ICO

